The Welfare Peer Technical Assistance (TA) Network, funded by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) provided technical assistance in support of this meeting. The meeting was coordinated by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (NH DHHS) and the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NH DOT). The purpose of the meeting was to begin to develop a strategy and formulate a framework for coordination that improves and/or increases mobility options for various populations of transportation users throughout the State.

The Welfare Peer Technical Assistance Network, with the CalWORKs/Child Welfare Partnership Project, hosted a Roundtable entitled Establishing Linkages Between TANF and Child Welfare Programs May 31, 2002 in Sacramento, CA. This Roundtable was attended by representatives from four States (NC, NJ, WI, CO) as well as the State of California and ten of its counties currently working toward improving service coordination.

The Welfare Peer Technical Assistance Network, funded by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) coordinated this workshop in conjunction with the Office of Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), DHHS. Ms. Julia Isaacs, Director, Data and Technical Analysis Division, ASPE/HSP, led the planning and conduct of this workshop. It was intended for states or counties that were awarded specific ASPE grants in 1998 to study welfare “leavers.”

The Welfare Peer Technical Assistance (TA) Network, funded by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), coordinated this meeting involving select representatives from States that received an ACF High Performance Bonus Award in December 1999. The High Performance Bonuses were authorized by the 1996 welfare reform legislation.

This report highlights the major findings from the Welfare Peer Technical Assistance Network's 1-day workshop, Evaluating Community-Based Welfare Initiatives. The workshop brought together Federal, state and local community officials, as well as researchers, to discuss strategies for outreach and evaluation of community-based initiatives to serve welfare recipients and low-income individuals.

The Welfare Peer Technical Assistance Network, funded by the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance, coordinated two-day site visits at the request of several Regional and State Department of Health and Human Services Offices. States were invited to participate based on findings resulting from the Network’s national needs assessment regarding the challenges and successes of implementation of State welfare reform initiatives. Ms. Vesta Kimble, Deputy Director of the Anne Arundel County Department of Social Services, led the site visit. Ms. Kimble provided an in-depth description of Anne Arundel County’s Family Investment Program. This technical assistance event afforded participants an opportunity to observe Anne Arundel’s welfare service delivery system first hand.

The Welfare Peer Technical Assistance (TA) Network sponsored a two-day site visit to Wisconsin in coordination with the Kenosha County Department of Human Services and the Racine County Department of Human Services. The purpose of the visit was to offer participants an opportunity to obtain an overview and description of both centers’ delivery systems, tour their facilities, and interact one-on-one with program area staff.

The Welfare Peer Technical Assistance (TA) Network, funded by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), assisted the Colorado Works Program, Office of Self Sufficiency, Department of Human Services, in the planning and hosting of this workshop. The purpose of this technical assistance workshop was to explore new and innovative ways to use TANF non-assistance funds to serve low-income populations. The workshop was designed to allow key county social service staff to learn about existing programs outside the State, hear the Federal perspective relating to TANF non-assistance funds, and provide a forum for dialogue with the State social service office. Participants who attended included county commissioners, social service directors, and key administrative staff. Thirty-one county representatives from all over the State were present.

This report details the presentations given and questions, answers, and concerns articulated by members of the ACF Region V States at the June State Human Services Officials Meeting.

On June 18-21, 2001, the ACF Northeast HUB, in collaboration with AFYA, Inc., held a TANF Data Collection and Reporting Workshop in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The overall theme of the workshops was the importance of TANF data in managing the program and determining possible future changes.